The Best Revenge, Part 1
by pungster
Summary: Jordan prepares of her Christmas Eve Dinner with Leo.


THE BEST REVENGE by Pung  
  
Authors Note: I began this sage of Leo and Jordan after   
  
much urging from a friend. According to my story, their   
  
love affair begins after the Senate Hearings, and goes from there.   
  
Any post-ep. ff's will be marked so you don't get confused,   
  
but I'm also going to be posting some stuff that is - although not  
  
canon -not alternate universe either.  
  
All characters but Hanna are the creation of Aaron  
  
Sorkin, although I have taken the liberty of giving  
  
Jordan a number of my own personal tics and  
  
preferences.  
  
  
  
Hannah lives-in my dear friend Jennifer, who lives  
  
this life with passion and joy and with 2 more  
  
children than Hannah has!  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
December 23rd, 11:05 pm.   
  
Jordan was a creature of habit. You could set your  
  
clock by her nightly rituals. She ate a light supper  
  
as she read and responded her e-mails, occasionally  
  
pushing her cat Cleo off the keyboard. Then she  
  
would  
  
take a long fragrant bath, listening to some  
  
favorite  
  
c.d. Finally, she would dress in silk pajamas, put  
  
on  
  
her fuzzy slippers and sit cross-legged on the bed  
  
with files and briefs spread out around her.  
  
She usually had the t.v. on to CNN and tonight was  
  
no different,although she paid more attention to the  
  
dog and pony show. The analysts and punsters were  
  
having a field day, asking the same question; why  
  
did  
  
the session end so abruptly? She wondered herself,  
  
but  
  
relieved to be given the time to prepare for what  
  
came  
  
next.  
  
She had known Leo for more than ten years. He had  
  
interviewed her when she applied for a summer  
  
clerkship at his firm. He saw to it that she was  
  
assigned to him. He gave her useful tips on studying  
  
for the bar, but what was most useful was just  
  
watching him work. He had a brilliant legal mind and   
  
a way of cutting through the crap to the heart of the  
  
matter that she worked hard to emulate.  
  
She was hired on as an associate after passing the  
  
bar, and stayed there three years while working on her  
  
doctorate. He encouraged her interest in international   
  
law, and when he left to join the Labor Department,  
  
he wrote her a reference that she knew had aced her   
  
interview with the United Nations Council's Office.  
  
Although they had lost contact after that, she had  
  
followed his career in politics with interest. When  
  
the disclosure of his addictions was all over the  
  
news, she had sent him a brief note, but never heard  
  
back from him.  
  
So, she was somewhat surprised when he called and  
  
asked her to represent him. She was good at what she  
  
did and had developed a reputation in D.C., but  
  
there  
  
were certainly more high-profile firms he could have  
  
turned to. When she asked, he had simply said, "I  
  
trained you to be a lawyer. I know how your mind  
  
works." That was true enough.  
  
Her cell phone rang, and she searched for it among  
  
the briefs and blankets. "Hello?"  
  
"Hey. I'm sorry I'm calling so late. I lost track  
  
of time." He sounded tired.  
  
"Leo, are you still in the West Wing?" she said,  
  
looking at the clock.  
  
"No, I'm home now. I just got in. Are you watching  
  
the post-game analysis?"  
  
"No, I'm watching Monty Python! Of course I'm  
  
watching it. It's part of my job to listen to what  
  
people are saying."  
  
"Yeah, well...I was thinking about tomorrow."  
  
"Do you want to postpone? I could..."  
  
"No, I don't want to postpone. It was hard enough  
  
nailing you down the first time. I was just  
  
thinking...all the best places in the district will  
  
be  
  
packed. I don't want to spend the evening  
  
glad-handing a bunch of people."  
  
"Gee, why not?"  
  
She heard him laugh briefly. "Anyway, I know this  
  
place...it's about twenty-five minutes outside of  
  
D.C.  
  
The food is great, and we can have some privacy. Do  
  
you mind the long drive?"  
  
"No, not at all."  
  
"O.K." he said, "So, why don't I pick you up around  
  
seven."  
  
"That will be fine, Leo. Now-do yourself a favor,  
  
and get some sleep."  
  
"I will."  
  
"I mean it."  
  
"Yes, Mom."  
  
"Good night, Leo."  
  
"Jordan?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Thank you for today."  
  
He hung up without waiting for a reply. She put the  
  
phone on her bedside table, and began gathering up  
  
the  
  
papers and files. Cleo knew what that meant, and  
  
jumped up on the bed, rubbing against her arm. She  
  
shut off the t.v. and turned out the light.  
  
Lying in bed, waiting for sleep, she stroked Cleo's  
  
ears and thought about one of the lessons Leo had  
  
taught her all those years ago.  
  
"The legal system isn't about right or wrong,  
  
winning or losing. It's about advocacy. And as an  
  
advocate, you have to keep your focus on the issues,  
  
not on the client. Get too involved with the client,  
  
and you lose perspective."  
  
He had trained her to be an advocate. She would  
  
have to keep that in mind. If she lost sight of  
  
that,  
  
she could do him more harm than good.   
  
  
  
  
  
Dec. 24th 3:15pm  
  
  
  
Jordan surveyed the explosion in her room and shook  
  
her head. Every surface was draped with clothes from  
  
her walk-in closet, and nothing was catching her  
  
eye.   
  
The problem was her lifestyle in the past two years  
  
was reflected in her wardrobe. Very expensive  
  
designer  
  
suits for business. The few dresses she had bought  
  
for  
  
the occasional office function(she dared not call  
  
them  
  
parties)were severe in style-to ward off sexual  
  
harrasment from drunken colleagues  
  
"I have no date clothes." she moaned, looking at  
  
her watch. There was no time to shop. The phone rang  
  
suddenly, and she welcomed the diversion.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Hey, Kiddo, Merry Christmas!" her friend Hannah  
  
chirped.  
  
"Bah, humbug back at you."   
  
"Wooh, you're filled with holiday cheer, Aren't  
  
you? And here I was, about to pounce on you with  
  
some cookies Janie made."   
  
"Please do...you can get my mind off my wardrobe."  
  
"Excuse me?"  
  
"Just my usual dressing disaster. I have a dinner  
  
date tonight..."  
  
"Wait! You have a DATE? I'll be right over!"  
  
Hannah lived in the duplex next door, so it was  
  
only moments later that Jordan's doorbell began to  
  
ring furiously. Jordan opened the door to find her  
  
friend standing there-nine months pregnant and  
  
toting  
  
three children under the age of six, a plate full of  
  
cookies and a video tape.  
  
Hannah herded the children in, sat them down in  
  
front  
  
of the t.v. and popped in a Disney flick.  
  
"Stay here." she said, "Don't kill each other and  
  
don't touch ANYTHING." She dropped the plate of  
  
cookies on the hall table and grinned at Jordan.  
  
"This  
  
is SO cool." she whispered as she went back into the  
  
foyer. "Well, Come ON!" she said, and bolted up the  
  
stairs. Jordan followed, grinning.  
  
She found Hannah shaking her head at the array of  
  
clothes. "You are impossible." she said. "Suits? Is  
  
this dinner or a deposition?" She rummaged among the  
  
dresses, and pulled out a black three-quarter length  
  
Ann Klien.   
  
"What do you think of that?" Jordan asked.  
  
"Fine if there's a Shiva afterward..."  
  
"I spent a lot of money on that dress!"  
  
"Of course you did! there's so much MATERIAL." She  
  
dropped it to the floor and rummaged some more.   
  
"Nancy Reagan red, saints preserve us...and what is  
  
this?" She held up a brownish dress with green  
  
piping.   
  
"What's wrong with it?"  
  
"Nothing, if he wants to pretend he's having  
  
dinner with his MOMMY!" Hannah shook her head.  
  
"Nothing you can even WORK with. Girl, you have been  
  
single too long. Who is this guy, anyway?"  
  
"Leo McGarry."  
  
Hannah stood speechless a moment. "Really." she  
  
said finally.  
  
"Is that a problem for you?"  
  
"No, just...well, isn't that-like-against your  
  
code of ethics or what-ever it's called?"  
  
"I'm having dinner with him, Hannah, not sleeping  
  
with him."   
  
"Not yet...Jordy, isn't he married?"  
  
"No, divorced for over a year now."  
  
"He still wears his wedding band."  
  
"I hadn't noticed." Jordan said, picking up the  
  
discarded clothes.  
  
"I did. I was watching C-SPAN today."  
  
"And you noticed a wedding band?"   
  
"I notice everything. I notice that you're  
  
suddenly not looking me in the eye."  
  
Jordan turned back. "It's just dinner, Hannah."  
  
"You really like the guy, don't you?  
  
"Yes." Jordan said, sitting on the bed. "It's come  
  
on rather suddenly, but yes-I really like the guy. So,  
  
wave your magic wand. WHAT do I wear?"  
  
Hannah absently rubbed her belly and shrugged.  
  
"Saran wrap?" Suddenly her face lit up. "Oh! I have  
  
just the thing!" She bolted from the room. "Watch  
  
the  
  
kids! Beat them if necessary! I'll be back in a  
  
flash!"  
  
And she was, ladened down with a dry-cleaning  
  
bag,  
  
and a fist full of jewelry. "Strip." she ordered as  
  
she pulled the bag off the dress beneath.  
  
Jordan almost gasped at the dress her friend had  
  
brought her. It was an electric blue sheath with a  
  
scoop neck, and the bodice shimmered with silver  
  
spangles in a diamond pattern. It was beautiful,  
  
but...  
  
"Hannah, it's lovely, but don't you think it's   
  
a  
  
bit showy for a first date?"  
  
"A first date on Christmas Eve. Kinda a showy  
  
night, don't you think?"  
  
"And I'm not sure it will fit. You're at least a  
  
size smaller than I am."  
  
"Not THESE days. Anyway, it's spandex-  
  
very...flexable. Go on, try it on."  
  
A minute later, Jordan emerged from the  
  
bathroom,  
  
adjusting the low neckline. I'll need a strapless  
  
bra." she said.  
  
"Go without." Hannah replied, digging thru  
  
Jordans  
  
shoes. "Here. Try these with it."  
  
Jordan slipped on the two inch pumps, and walked  
  
to the mirror. "It's so...snug."  
  
"You've got the bod to get away with it." Hannah  
  
replied coming up behind her. "Now..." she slipped a  
  
simple sapphire pendant around Jordan's neck and  
  
fastened it. "Here are the studs. Don't tell Jack I  
  
lent you these, he'll kill me. Now about your  
  
hair..."  
  
"Oh enough, already. My hair is...my hair." She  
  
looked at herself in the mirror. She never thought  
  
much about her looks, but she liked the reflection  
  
looking back at her. "It really is lovely, Hannah,  
  
thank you."  
  
"You're welcome, Kiddo. Merry Christmas." Hannah  
  
put her arms around Jordan and hugged her as they  
  
looked at the mirrors image. "A warning about this  
  
dress."  
  
"What?"   
  
"Last time I wore it..."she patted her ample  
  
stomach. "THIS happened."  
  
  
  
  
  
At ten of seven, she was putting out her wrap  
  
and  
  
gloves when the phone rang. "He's not coming.", the  
  
seventeen year old wall-flower in her head wailed,  
  
but  
  
it was Hannah on the phone.   
  
"What perfume did you decide on?"  
  
"Ode de Attorney."  
  
"No, REALLY."  
  
"Chanel #5."  
  
"Well, if you're into classics, that can work.   
  
Are you excited?"  
  
"Apparently not as excited as you are."  
  
"Hey, the only excitement I get these days is a  
  
pelvic exam. Hey...maybe tomorrow we can compare  
  
notes."  
  
"Hannah!"  
  
"Wait! there's a car coming around the  
  
cul-de-sac!  
  
This must be him!"  
  
"What have you got, binoculars?"  
  
"Call me in the morning and spill the beans!"  
  
"Tomorrow is Christmas, Hannah!"  
  
"That's right! And I WANT MY PRESENT!" Hannah  
  
hung  
  
up without another word. A moment later, the  
  
doorbell  
  
rang. Jordan checked herself in the mirror, and  
  
picking up her wrap, she went to the door.  
  
He turned and looked at her as the door opened.  
  
His eyes moved over her and his face changed.  
  
Surprise  
  
became delight, and then he grinned.  
  
"Well," he said, "You look...like you're ready  
  
to  
  
go."   
  
He held out his hand, and she took it. 


End file.
